Tauri Litchfield, who died on St Patrick's Day 2013. Five boys are charged with his murder but lawyers for one teen unsuccessfully argued for charges to be dropped.Source: Supplied

A COURT has ruled a boy charged with murdering Tauri Litchfield, 28, does have a case to answer.

Six boys, aged between 14 and 16, were originally accused of murdering Mr Litchfield in Mandurah, south of Perth, in March last year by assaulting him and chasing him until he tripped over a wall in a car park and suffered fatal brain injuries.

The charge against one of the boys was dropped earlier in the trial, and yesterday, Children’s Court president Denis Reynolds was asked to consider throwing out the charge against another.

However, in a ruling today, Mr Reynolds said having taken into account all the evidence he had heard, there was a sufficiently strong case to warrant the charge to remain.

The five boys remain on trial in the Perth Children’s Court.

The court previously heard one of the boys tried to pickpocket Mr Litchfield who then slapped the teenager on the back of his head with an open palm.

The teenager then punched Mr Litchfield in the jaw, knocking him onto his back into some bushes, before the group surrounded him and chased him until he fell, prosecutors allege.

Ms Barone said based on the prosecutor’s case that the act which caused Mr Litchfield’s death was the chase, there was no direct evidence which showed her client was running at the time the 28-year-old went over the wall.

Five boys are on trial, having pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Litchfield on St Patrick’s Day last year.

A sixth boy was also charged and had been on trial with the group, but the charges against him were dropped.

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